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Chipperfield's Circus
Chipperfield's Circus is a British family touring show, continuing a 300-year-old family business.
Chipperfield's Circus originates with James Chipperfield with his performing animals at the Thames Frost Fair of 1684. Through the 19th century, the circus toured all of England, with a menagerie of animals, teams of acrobats and clowns. After World War II, under the management of Jimmy Chipperfield, the circus became one of the largest in Europe, with a tent that could hold 6,000 people. The family in the same headship diversified into safari parks (in England founding those at Windsor and Knowsley and co-founding with the Marquess of Bath, Longleat Safari Park as well, with the Duke of Bedford, Woburn Safari Park) and supplying fairgrounds supplies. Since his death in 1990, the circus has toured only intermittently, sometimes featuring members of the extended Chipperfield family.
The name Chipperfield dates back at least to James Chipperfield. He introduced performing animals to England at the Frost Fair on the Thames in 1684. His show performed for two months at the fair. Part of the fair was for showing animals.
James William Chipperfield Sr. (1775–1866) was a bootmaker and made fancy-dress costumes for theatrical use in Drury Lane, London. His business was slow in the summer when he joined travelling fairs and help put on small shows with his wife Mary Ann. The show grew to include dancing bears, monkeys, and trained pigs. In about 1803, James and Mary Ann had a son James William Chipperfield Jr. who would join the show.
James William Chipperfield (1803–1866) grew up in his father's touring show. He was an assistant to Hamlin the conjuror. James married Harriet Amy Coan (4 December 1799-~1866) in Bury St Edmunds and had four children William James (1822– ), James William III (1824–1913), Tom and Mary Phoebe (1826– ). James and Harriet tour with their own show in a horse drawn canvas wagon. Harriet died of pneumonia in 1841 at a fair in Rayleigh, Essex. Later James remarried and continued to tour with an even larger show. He retired and died in 1866. His son, James William III, married Elizabeth Jones, and their children continued the Circus tour.
James William Chipperfield (1824–1913) was born in a caravan on 22 April 1824, at St. Martin at Oak, Norfolk. James is the son of James William Chipperfield and Harriet Amy (née Coan).
He began a clowning act with his father in the "Liliputian Circus". It is reported that he entered a den of animals at Wombwells when 14 years old. He started his own show when he acquired and trained a trick pony and worked as a juggler.
He married Elizabeth Jones (4 July 1823 – 1856) in 1846. She died in 1856 at the age of 33. Elizabeth and James had three children: Sophia Sarah (13 December 1846 – 1927) married Henry Wesley in 1868 – James William Francis (4 October 1848 – January 1917) and Harriett Amy (1852–?). Later he married Sarah Ann Coan (Chapman) (1821–1890) a widow of John Coan. Sarah was caring for five of her late husband's children, two of which were Walter Coan and Elizabeth Coan. Sarah and James had 12 children, including: Harriet and James. James and Sarah had all 20 of their children working in the Circus as their grew up. Their daughter appeared as the youngest tight-rope dancer in the country. The Chipperfield's Circus introduced to Britain Zulus from Africa and the Aztecs from Mexico. He also entered in to the marionette is a puppet shows. He gradually worked his way to the front rank of showland with his menagerie, caged "Beast Show" and establishing his winter quarters in Norwich. He exhibited Robert Tippney, the "living skeleton". He was on the road all his life and claimed to be England's oldest showman. James William Chipperfield died at his home, Schwanfelder Street, Beeston, Leeds, in 1913, aged 89 years.
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Chipperfield's Circus AI simulator
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Chipperfield's Circus
Chipperfield's Circus is a British family touring show, continuing a 300-year-old family business.
Chipperfield's Circus originates with James Chipperfield with his performing animals at the Thames Frost Fair of 1684. Through the 19th century, the circus toured all of England, with a menagerie of animals, teams of acrobats and clowns. After World War II, under the management of Jimmy Chipperfield, the circus became one of the largest in Europe, with a tent that could hold 6,000 people. The family in the same headship diversified into safari parks (in England founding those at Windsor and Knowsley and co-founding with the Marquess of Bath, Longleat Safari Park as well, with the Duke of Bedford, Woburn Safari Park) and supplying fairgrounds supplies. Since his death in 1990, the circus has toured only intermittently, sometimes featuring members of the extended Chipperfield family.
The name Chipperfield dates back at least to James Chipperfield. He introduced performing animals to England at the Frost Fair on the Thames in 1684. His show performed for two months at the fair. Part of the fair was for showing animals.
James William Chipperfield Sr. (1775–1866) was a bootmaker and made fancy-dress costumes for theatrical use in Drury Lane, London. His business was slow in the summer when he joined travelling fairs and help put on small shows with his wife Mary Ann. The show grew to include dancing bears, monkeys, and trained pigs. In about 1803, James and Mary Ann had a son James William Chipperfield Jr. who would join the show.
James William Chipperfield (1803–1866) grew up in his father's touring show. He was an assistant to Hamlin the conjuror. James married Harriet Amy Coan (4 December 1799-~1866) in Bury St Edmunds and had four children William James (1822– ), James William III (1824–1913), Tom and Mary Phoebe (1826– ). James and Harriet tour with their own show in a horse drawn canvas wagon. Harriet died of pneumonia in 1841 at a fair in Rayleigh, Essex. Later James remarried and continued to tour with an even larger show. He retired and died in 1866. His son, James William III, married Elizabeth Jones, and their children continued the Circus tour.
James William Chipperfield (1824–1913) was born in a caravan on 22 April 1824, at St. Martin at Oak, Norfolk. James is the son of James William Chipperfield and Harriet Amy (née Coan).
He began a clowning act with his father in the "Liliputian Circus". It is reported that he entered a den of animals at Wombwells when 14 years old. He started his own show when he acquired and trained a trick pony and worked as a juggler.
He married Elizabeth Jones (4 July 1823 – 1856) in 1846. She died in 1856 at the age of 33. Elizabeth and James had three children: Sophia Sarah (13 December 1846 – 1927) married Henry Wesley in 1868 – James William Francis (4 October 1848 – January 1917) and Harriett Amy (1852–?). Later he married Sarah Ann Coan (Chapman) (1821–1890) a widow of John Coan. Sarah was caring for five of her late husband's children, two of which were Walter Coan and Elizabeth Coan. Sarah and James had 12 children, including: Harriet and James. James and Sarah had all 20 of their children working in the Circus as their grew up. Their daughter appeared as the youngest tight-rope dancer in the country. The Chipperfield's Circus introduced to Britain Zulus from Africa and the Aztecs from Mexico. He also entered in to the marionette is a puppet shows. He gradually worked his way to the front rank of showland with his menagerie, caged "Beast Show" and establishing his winter quarters in Norwich. He exhibited Robert Tippney, the "living skeleton". He was on the road all his life and claimed to be England's oldest showman. James William Chipperfield died at his home, Schwanfelder Street, Beeston, Leeds, in 1913, aged 89 years.